Apricot seed
(Xingren)
Pharmaceutical
Name: Semen Armeniacae.
Botanical
Name: 1. Prunus armeniaca L.
var. ansu maxim.; 2. Prunus mandshurica
(Maxim.) Koehne; 3. Prunus sibirica
L.
Common
Name: Apricot seed, Bitter apricot seed or kernel.
Source
of Earliest Record: Shennong Bencao Jing.
Part
Used & Method for Pharmaceutical Preparations: The seeds are
collected after the apricot ripens in summer. They are then dried in the sun
and pounded into pieces.
Properties
& Taste: Bitter, slightly warm and slightly toxic.
Meridians:
Lung and large intestine.
Functions:
1. To stop cough and relieve asthma; 2. To moisten the intestines and move
stool.
Indications
& Combinations:
1. Cough and asthma: a) cough due to
invasion by exogenous pathogenic wind and heat Apricot seed (Xingren) is used
with Mulberry leaf (Sangye) and Chrysanthemum flower (Juhua) in the formula
Sang Ju Yin; b) cough due to dysfunction of the lungs caused by dryness and
heatApricot seed (Xingren) is used with Mulberry leaf (Sangye), Tendrilled
fritillary bulb (Chuanbeimu) and Glehnia root (Shashen) in the formula Sang
Xing Tang; c) cough and asthma due to accumulated heat in the lungsApricot seed
(Xingren) is used with Gypsum (Shigao) and Ephedra (Mahuang) in the formula Ma
Xing Shi Gan Tang.
2. Constipation due to dryness in the
intestines: Apricot seed (Xingren) is used with Hemp seed (Huomaren) and
Chinese angelica root (Danggui) in the formula Runchang Wan.
Dosage:
3-10 g.
Cautions
& Contraindications: This herb is slightly toxic, so overdosing
should be avoided. It should be used with caution in infants.
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